In this brief recollection from Sirkar van Stolk, who was a mureed and a secretary for Hazrat Inayat Khan, he describes how he learned to overcome his own resistance to the devotional approach to religion.

The aspect of Inayat Khan’s teaching emphasising the fundamental Oneness of all religious ideals demonstrated how this could be made a reality in everyday life. He instituted a simple religious service called the Universal Worship, in which, to stress the basic unity between all moral teachings, a candle is lit for each of the world’s six great religions. A short extract on a chosen theme is taken from each of their sacred scriptures: from the Hindu, from the Buddhist and Zoroastrian teachings; from the Hebrew scriptures, the New Testament and the Koran. A final candle is lit “for all those who, whether known or unknown to the world, have held aloft the light of truth through the darkness of human ignorance;” and some lines are read from a Sufi scripture. Then a discourse is given and prayers are said. The Universal Worship ends with the giving of the blessing.

By helping people to become acquainted with the essence of the different religions, Hazrat Inayat Khan impressed upon their consciousness a realisation that the Divine Message given in different ages and in different forms really came from One and the Same Source – God. He knew that in time, as this realisation became stronger, interest in the dogmatic and separative side of all religions would gradually fade away.

Somebody once asked what the difference was between Sufism and other religions, and Inayat Khan replied, “The difference is that it casts away all differences.”

Soon after I arrived in Suresnes for the Summer School of 1924, I watched the Universal Worship for the first time.

“”This is all very nice,” I remarked to Murshid, “but it is not for me.”

Murshid smiled and replied, “It is not intended specially for you. But come when we hold the service again.”

I did so, and he led me to the back of the hall where the simple ceremony was being conducted.

“Look how much it means to others,” he said quietly. I could not help but observe the deep devotion in the attitude of all those taking part. It was a lesson to me. How could I have been so egocentric as to think only of the value it might have had for me? I personally did not care for the devotional approach to religion; yet for other people it was evidently perfectly right. If it was so right for so many others, why should I not be prepared to sink my own resistance against it?